


Medals

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Community: 1-million-words, Community: fic_promptly, Courage, Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-31 09:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alys knows what it means to have courage</p>
            </blockquote>





	Medals

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the my 1MW bingo table with the prompt, "Medals" and the fic_promptly prompt "Vorkosigan, Alys, courage"

Alys glanced around the room, taking in the stiff Vor Counts in their best red and blues. Polished medals gleamed on every man's breast, some of them fairly covered in the shining things. Aral's entire jacket could probably be covered by commendations, but Padma had once confided that his cousin hated the memories many of them evoked. Aral kept them stuffed in the back of a drawer, Cordelia had mentioned.

After what she had just been through, Alys couldn't blame him. Part of her wanted to hand little Ivan off to Cordelia and run around the room, ripping medals from those undeserving.

These privileged sons who played at war in their nice clean ship had no idea what true courage was! Courage was a man, dying for his family. Courage was a woman, risking her life to save her son. Courage was bringing a baby into a horrible world like this. Courage was a small boy, standing bravely beside his mother's empty chair and holding back tears.

Padma deserved a medal. Cordelia deserved a medal. Droudhnskovi and Koudelka and Bothari and Gregor and Ivan and Alys herself deserved medals more than these peacock men.

Alys desperately wished to drown her anger in a glass of wine, but she couldn't while Ivan was so little. Instead, she sat politely beside Cordelia, hiding her rage behind a semi-interested mask. A moment later Cordelia glanced over, their eyes met, and Alys knew that she wasn't the only one barely holding it together.

Sitting in a room full of cowards, unable to speak your mind, now that was courage.


End file.
